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American Politics Today Full 4th Edition Bianco Test Bank
American Politics Today Full 4th Edition Bianco Test Bank
TRUE/FALSE
1. Members of the Tea Party tend to believe that the federal government has overreached its
constitutional authority.
2. The Constitution accomplishes the following tasks: it sets up our basic rules of governance, limits
government actions against citizens, and provides for specific individual rights.
3. The Constitution places more limits on government power than the Articles of Confederation.
4. The framers believed that protecting natural rights of citizens would be accomplished through a
government that relied on the “consent of the governed.”
5. America’s relative economic equality compared to Europe influenced the context of debates at the
Constitutional Convention.
6. Antifederalists favored a stronger national government while Federalists favored stronger state
governments.
7. The framers of the Constitution believed both in the need for a stronger central government and in the
need to limit the national government through the separation of powers.
9. A separation of powers system creates different branches of government with completely independent
realms of power.
10. According to James Madison, factions must be set against each other to control majority tyranny.
11. The Great Compromise guaranteed that large states would hold more power in the constitutional
balance by having membership in both houses of Congress based on population.
12. Attendees at the Constitutional Convention chose the electoral college as a means of selecting a
president because it helped tie the executive branch to the legislative branch.
13. The Antifederalists pushed for the inclusion of the national supremacy clause.
14. The reason the Constitution did not outlaw slavery was because the framers did not object to the
practice.
16. The Bill of Rights is a list of limits on the control that the federal government has over state
governments.
17. Among the president’s powers are the power to pass the federal budget, the ability to recognize
representatives from other countries, and the responsibility for executing the law.
18. The Supreme Court gained the power of judicial review after the decision in Marbury v. Madison.
19. The enumerated powers are the specific list of powers granted to Congress in Article I of the
Constitution.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which of the following is the main argument behind the Tea Party movement?
a. The Federal Reserve should have expanded powers to regulate the economy.
b. The expansion of the federal government has grown beyond what the founding fathers
intended.
c. Presidents have been granted too much power by the Constitution.
d. The Supreme Court should be more proactive in striking down unconstitutional
legislation.
e. Taxes should only be used to help the neediest in society.
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: The Historical Context of the Constitution
OBJ: Describe the historical circumstances that led to the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
MSC: Understanding
3. Which of the following was NOT a part of the lead-up to the Revolutionary War?
a. Stamp Act d. Boston Tea Party
b. Tea Act e. Shays’s Rebellion
c. Coercive Acts
ANS: E DIF: Moderate REF: The Historical Context of the Constitution
OBJ: Describe the historical circumstances that led to the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
MSC: Remembering
4. Which of the following best describes the context in which the Constitution was created?
a. quarrels among the states and the growing perception of the collapse of the rule of law
b. relative peace and tranquility
c. mild dissatisfaction with the Declaration of Independence
d. clear goals held by every American after the Revolutionary War
e. broad agreement among the states about forming a national government
ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: The Historical Context of the Constitution
OBJ: Describe the historical circumstances that led to the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
MSC: Understanding
5. Those colonists who remained supportive of the British monarchy during the Revolutionary War were
called:
a. Tories. d. Whigs.
b. Republicans. e. Democrats.
c. Monarchists.
ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: The Historical Context of the Constitution
OBJ: Describe the historical circumstances that led to the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
MSC: Remembering
8. Which key part of the government was formed under the Articles of Confederation?
a. direct election of members of Congress by the people
b. a federal court system
c. a weak national government
d. the electoral college
e. an executive branch led by the president
ANS: C DIF: Difficult REF: The Historical Context of the Constitution
OBJ: Describe the historical circumstances that led to the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
MSC: Remembering
9. Which part of the national government was formed under the Articles of Confederation?
a. the power to regulate commerce between states
b. the power of the people to elect their representatives directly
c. an independent executive branch
d. special panels of judges to resolve disputes between states
e. a bicameral Congress
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: The Historical Context of the Constitution
OBJ: Describe the historical circumstances that led to the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
MSC: Remembering
11. Which of the following events exposed discontent with the new government and led to the Annapolis
Convention?
a. Shays’s Rebellion d. the Declaration of Independence
b. the publication of Common Sense e. Washington’s election as president
c. the Revolutionary War
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: The Historical Context of the Constitution
OBJ: Describe the historical circumstances that led to the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
MSC: Remembering
14. Which three principles stated in the Declaration of Independence were generally agreed upon by the
Constitution’s framers?
a. natural rights, equality under the law, and divine right
b. equality under the law, self-rule, and natural rights
c. equality under the law, an end to all forms of taxation, and divine right
d. self-rule, an end to all forms of taxation, and natural rights
e. natural rights, the right to rebellion for transient causes, and popular democracy
ANS: B DIF: Difficult REF: The Historical Context of the Constitution
OBJ: Describe the historical circumstances that led to the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
MSC: Remembering
15. When the interests of the people are represented through their elected leaders, it is an example of what
kind of government?
a. monarchy d. oligarchy
b. tyranny e. authoritarian state
c. republic
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: The Historical Context of the Constitution
OBJ: Describe the historical circumstances that led to the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
MSC: Applying
16. Which of the following was NOT an idea discussed by John Locke?
a. natural rights
b. property rights
c. checks and balances
d. self-rule through elections
e. the need for rule by a strong monarch
ANS: E DIF: Moderate REF: The Historical Context of the Constitution
OBJ: Describe the historical circumstances that led to the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
MSC: Remembering
17. A faction is a group of ________ that seek to control government power to ________.
a. minority interests; protect themselves from everyone else
b. majority interests; promote the public good
c. minority interests; promote the public good
d. minority or majority interests; pursue their own interests
e. minority or majority interests; promote the public good
ANS: D DIF: Difficult REF: The Historical Context of the Constitution
OBJ: Describe the historical circumstances that led to the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
MSC: Understanding
19. Which political thinker argued that in order to preserve liberty, one branch of government should be
able to check the excesses of the other branches?
a. John Stuart Mill d. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
b. Thomas Hobbes e. Thomas Paine
c. Baron de Montesquieu
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: The Historical Context of the Constitution
OBJ: Describe the historical circumstances that led to the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
MSC: Remembering
21. The most significant economic differences among the framers of the Constitution were:
a. based on wealth, with debates arising between the rich and the poor.
b. grounded in regional differences, with the South favoring free trade and the North
preferring tariffs on foreign goods to protect domestic industries.
c. based on labor differences, with debates arising between the interests of factory workers
and the interests of farmers.
d. between those with a college education who had studied economics and those who had
not.
e. based on whether or not to create an income tax for citizens.
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: The Historical Context of the Constitution
OBJ: Describe the historical circumstances that led to the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
MSC: Remembering
23. What modern political philosophy is based in part on James Madison’s “size principle”?
a. Antifederalism d. republicanism
b. monarchy e. pluralism
c. democracy
ANS: E DIF: Easy
REF: The Politics of Compromise at the Constitutional Convention
OBJ: Analyze the major issues debated by the framers of the Constitution.
MSC: Applying
26. People who share a common political interest are best known as:
a. Federalists. d. Antifederalists.
b. self-governed. e. loyalists.
c. a faction.
ANS: C DIF: Easy
REF: The Politics of Compromise at the Constitutional Convention
OBJ: Analyze the major issues debated by the framers of the Constitution.
MSC: Remembering
27. Modern-day interest groups such as the National Rifle Association and Emily’s List are examples of
what concept?
a. factions d. Antifederalism
b. self-rule e. republicanism
c. natural law
ANS: A DIF: Easy
REF: The Politics of Compromise at the Constitutional Convention
OBJ: Analyze the major issues debated by the framers of the Constitution.
MSC: Applying
28. Which of the following concepts reflects the need to balance the principle of self-government against
the rights of specific groups?
a. providing for both civil liberties and civil rights
b. protecting small states from powerful large states
c. creating a legislative government while allowing for executive leadership
d. providing for majority rule while protecting minority rights
e. providing for minority rule while protecting majority rights
ANS: D DIF: Difficult
REF: The Politics of Compromise at the Constitutional Convention
OBJ: Analyze the major issues debated by the framers of the Constitution.
MSC: Applying
29. For James Madison, the problem associated with a tyranny of the majority was that:
a. large factions might capture control of the government and ignore the rights of those in the
minority.
b. large groups of voters might grab power by circumventing elections.
c. the representative legislative branch would exercise too much power over the presidency.
d. regional majorities would become entrenched and prevent government from working for
the common good.
e. the president would have too much power over the legislative agenda.
ANS: A DIF: Difficult
REF: The Politics of Compromise at the Constitutional Convention
OBJ: Analyze the major issues debated by the framers of the Constitution.
MSC: Remembering
30. How did the framers design the Constitution to protect minority rights?
a. separation of powers and checks and balances
b. allowing majority tyranny to occur to protect the rights of the many
c. through the creation of political parties
d. through the creation of interest groups
e. through a system of direct democracy
ANS: A DIF: Moderate
REF: The Politics of Compromise at the Constitutional Convention
OBJ: Analyze the major issues debated by the framers of the Constitution.
MSC: Applying
33. Despite significant agreement on the need for a ________ national government at the Constitutional
Convention, there was serious division about ________.
a. weaker; how much stronger state governments should be
b. weaker; how much weaker the federal government should be
c. stronger; how much stronger the federal government should be
d. stronger; how much stronger state governments should be
e. stronger; how much weaker state governments should be
ANS: C DIF: Moderate
REF: The Politics of Compromise at the Constitutional Convention
OBJ: Analyze the major issues debated by the framers of the Constitution.
MSC: Remembering
34. Which of the following was implemented in order to protect minorities from majority tyranny?
a. a stronger presidency than under the Articles of Confederation
b. separation of powers between three branches of government
c. a representative democracy
d. a parliamentary system of governance
e. a direct democracy
ANS: B DIF: Moderate
REF: The Politics of Compromise at the Constitutional Convention
OBJ: Analyze the major issues debated by the framers of the Constitution.
MSC: Applying
36. Which of the following concepts best describes the problems associated with the Articles of
Confederation?
a. separation of powers d. pluralism
b. tyranny of the minority e. checks and balances
c. tyranny of the majority
ANS: B DIF: Easy
REF: The Politics of Compromise at the Constitutional Convention
OBJ: Analyze the major issues debated by the framers of the Constitution.
MSC: Applying
38. Which of the following was NOT a source of significant conflict at the Constitutional Convention?
a. whether to throw out or amend the Declaration of Independence
b. how much power to give to the legislative branch
c. how to represent small and large states in the new government
d. what to do about slavery
e. how much power to give to the executive branch
ANS: A DIF: Easy
REF: The Politics of Compromise at the Constitutional Convention
OBJ: Analyze the major issues debated by the framers of the Constitution.
MSC: Remembering
39. Which of the following was NOT a contentious issue in the debate over the executive branch?
a. whether or not to have a single executive
b. the method of selecting the president
c. whether or not the executive should have any legislative power
d. whether or not the president should be allowed to serve more than two terms
e. placing adequate checks and balances on presidential power
ANS: D DIF: Moderate
REF: The Politics of Compromise at the Constitutional Convention
OBJ: Analyze the major issues debated by the framers of the Constitution.
MSC: Remembering
40. Why did the New Jersey Plan contain a proposal for a legislature with equal representation per state?
a. New Jersey prospered economically under the Articles of Confederation, which had such a
system.
b. New Jersey had relatively little population and would therefore gain more representation
under an equal system.
c. New Jersey was a slave state and the Three-Fifths Compromise was going to strip it of
representation.
d. New Jersey had negotiated a separate treaty with the British that it wanted the new
Congress to ratify.
e. Antifederalists controlled the New Jersey legislature and they favored equal representation
per state.
ANS: B DIF: Moderate
REF: The Politics of Compromise at the Constitutional Convention
OBJ: Analyze the major issues debated by the framers of the Constitution.
MSC: Understanding
42. A form of government in which the leader is chosen by the legislature is called:
a. a separation of powers system. d. a parliamentary system.
b. a presidential system. e. a democratic system.
c. a legislative system.
ANS: D DIF: Moderate
REF: The Politics of Compromise at the Constitutional Convention
OBJ: Analyze the major issues debated by the framers of the Constitution.
MSC: Remembering
43. Which of the following is NOT a reason that the framers of the Constitution chose the electoral college
as the method for selecting the president?
a. It was a system that had worked well in other democracies.
b. The different groups trying to select a method could all claim victory.
c. It kept the process indirect.
d. It incorporated the role of state legislatures in the selection of a president.
e. The president would not be seen as an agent of Congress.
ANS: A DIF: Moderate
REF: The Politics of Compromise at the Constitutional Convention
OBJ: Analyze the major issues debated by the framers of the Constitution.
MSC: Understanding
44. What is a serious technical error of the Constitution, according to the authors?
a. It accords electors two votes each.
b. It fails to give the president the right to introduce legislation.
c. It does not better define judicial review.
d. It created the electoral college.
e. It upholds the provisions of the Three-Fifths Compromise.
ANS: A DIF: Moderate
REF: The Politics of Compromise at the Constitutional Convention
OBJ: Analyze the major issues debated by the framers of the Constitution.
MSC: Remembering
45. Which of the following addressed Antifederalist concerns about the absence of limits on national
governing power?
a. Three-Fifths Compromise d. Ninth Amendment
b. separation of powers e. Tenth Amendment
c. Great Compromise
ANS: E DIF: Easy
REF: The Politics of Compromise at the Constitutional Convention
OBJ: Analyze the major issues debated by the framers of the Constitution.
MSC: Remembering
46. Which of the following concepts applies most directly to the balance of power between state and
national governments?
a. parliamentary system d. supremacy clause
b. bicameralism e. checks and balances
c. separation of powers
ANS: D DIF: Easy
REF: The Politics of Compromise at the Constitutional Convention
OBJ: Analyze the major issues debated by the framers of the Constitution.
MSC: Applying
47. Which of the following methods of political compromise were used at the Constitutional Convention?
a. bribery and filibustering
b. bribery and logrolling (vote trading)
c. splitting the difference and bribery
d. splitting the difference and logrolling (vote trading)
e. filibustering and logrolling (vote trading)
ANS: D DIF: Difficult
REF: The Politics of Compromise at the Constitutional Convention
OBJ: Analyze the major issues debated by the framers of the Constitution.
MSC: Remembering
48. Slave states wanted slaves counted for the purposes of ________ but did not want slaves counted when
it came to the issue of ________.
a. representation; determining taxes d. tariffs; determining taxes
b. determining taxes; tariffs e. tariffs; representation
c. determining taxes; representation
ANS: A DIF: Difficult
REF: The Politics of Compromise at the Constitutional Convention
OBJ: Analyze the major issues debated by the framers of the Constitution.
MSC: Applying
50. Which of the following slavery issues was dealt with via logrolling?
a. counting slaves in determining state population
b. importing slaves from other nations and dealing with runaway slaves
c. counting slaves in determining taxation
d. determining which states would be allowed to maintain slavery
e. banning the slave trade
ANS: B DIF: Moderate
REF: The Politics of Compromise at the Constitutional Convention
OBJ: Analyze the major issues debated by the framers of the Constitution.
MSC: Applying
52. Which article of the Constitution describes the procedures for ratification?
a. Article VII d. Article III
b. Article VI e. Article II
c. Article I
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: Ratification
OBJ: Contrast the arguments of the Federalists with those of the Antifederalists.
MSC: Remembering
53. Which of the following was NOT a principal concern the Antifederalists had about the Constitution
prior to ratification?
a. the transfer of state powers to the national government
b. the lack of civil liberty guarantees
c. the role of the president
d. the bicameral legislature
e. the national government would become tyrannical
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: Ratification
OBJ: Contrast the arguments of the Federalists with those of the Antifederalists.
MSC: Understanding
54. What were the two parts of the “double protection” that James Madison believed would protect against
minority and majority tyranny?
a. self-rule and federalism
b. federalism and separation of powers
c. separation of powers and self-rule
d. separation of powers and a free press
e. federalism and a free press
ANS: B DIF: Difficult
REF: The Politics of Compromise at the Constitutional Convention
OBJ: Analyze the major issues debated by the framers of the Constitution.
MSC: Understanding
55. Which of the following was NOT a tactic used by the Federalists to refute Antifederalist claims during
the ratification debate?
a. They pointed out that Antifederalists had no plan of their own.
b. They engaged in a one-sided propaganda campaign.
c. They agreed to support a Bill of Rights in the new Congress.
d. They agreed to public debates with the Antifederalists.
e. They gained the upper hand in the debate by claiming the term “federalist.”
ANS: D DIF: Difficult REF: Ratification
OBJ: Contrast the arguments of the Federalists with those of the Antifederalists.
MSC: Remembering
57. Which of the following powers is NOT exclusive to the legislative branch?
a. the ability to raise revenue
b. the ability to send troops into armed conflict
c. the ability to regulate interstate commerce
d. the ability to establish post offices
e. the ability to coin money
ANS: B DIF: Moderate
REF: The Constitution: A Framework for Government
OBJ: Outline the major provisions of the Constitution. MSC: Remembering
58. Which branch of government has the longest and most specific list of powers?
a. legislative
b. executive
c. judicial
d. All of the branches have comparable lists of powers.
e. military
ANS: A DIF: Easy
REF: The Constitution: A Framework for Government
OBJ: Outline the major provisions of the Constitution. MSC: Remembering
59. Which part of government was considered the weakest because it did not have “power of the purse or
sword”?
a. state governments d. judicial branch
b. legislative branch e. local governments
c. executive branch
ANS: D DIF: Easy
REF: The Constitution: A Framework for Government
OBJ: Outline the major provisions of the Constitution. MSC: Understanding
60. The executive power of the United States is given by the Constitution to:
a. the Senate.
b. the Speaker of the House.
c. the Supreme Court.
d. the president.
e. the head of the Pentagon.
ANS: D DIF: Easy
REF: The Constitution: A Framework for Government
OBJ: Outline the major provisions of the Constitution. MSC: Remembering
62. The war powers held by the president and Congress are best an example of:
a. shared powers. d. powers of the purse.
b. exclusive powers. e. implied powers.
c. negative powers.
ANS: A DIF: Difficult
REF: The Constitution: A Framework for Government
OBJ: Outline the major provisions of the Constitution. MSC: Applying
64. While ________ powers are not held exclusively by any branch of government, ________ powers are
those that one branch can exercise over the other.
a. negative; shared d. shared; exclusive
b. shared; negative e. exclusive; shared
c. negative; exclusive
ANS: B DIF: Moderate
REF: The Constitution: A Framework for Government
OBJ: Outline the major provisions of the Constitution. MSC: Understanding
65. Which of the following is a check that the president holds over the judicial branch?
a. the ability to nominate judges for the federal courts
b. the ability to veto decisions made by the Supreme Court
c. the ability to interpret the constitutionality of new laws
d. the ability to remove federal judges from office
e. the ability to alter the jurisdiction of the federal courts
ANS: A DIF: Moderate
REF: The Constitution: A Framework for Government
OBJ: Outline the major provisions of the Constitution. MSC: Remembering
66. Which of the following is an exclusive power of the legislative branch?
a. the ability to implement laws d. veto power
b. judicial review e. the power to issue pardons
c. the power to declare war
ANS: C DIF: Easy
REF: The Constitution: A Framework for Government
OBJ: Outline the major provisions of the Constitution. MSC: Remembering
67. While the ________ can make decisions about how to use armed forces, only the ________ can make
decisions about funding such actions.
a. president; Supreme Court d. Congress; president
b. Congress; House of Representatives e. House of Representatives; Senate
c. president; Congress
ANS: C DIF: Moderate
REF: The Constitution: A Framework for Government
OBJ: Outline the major provisions of the Constitution. MSC: Applying
68. The ability to remove someone because of corruption or abuse of power is called:
a. the power of the purse. d. the power to pardon.
b. impeachment. e. the power to veto.
c. treason.
ANS: B DIF: Easy
REF: The Constitution: A Framework for Government
OBJ: Outline the major provisions of the Constitution. MSC: Remembering
69. What are two important negative checks that Congress can exercise over both the executive and the
judicial branches?
a. alteration of their jurisdiction and overriding their decisions
b. overriding their decisions and impeachment
c. impeachment and the power of the purse
d. alteration of their jurisdiction and power of the purse
e. impeachment and alteration of their jurisdiction
ANS: C DIF: Difficult
REF: The Constitution: A Framework for Government
OBJ: Outline the major provisions of the Constitution. MSC: Applying
70. Which of the following is a power the president can use to check the legislative branch?
a. judicial review d. veto
b. impeachment e. power of the sword
c. power of the purse
ANS: D DIF: Moderate
REF: The Constitution: A Framework for Government
OBJ: Outline the major provisions of the Constitution. MSC: Remembering
71. How can Congress use its power of the purse as a check over the other two branches?
a. Congress can balance the federal budget without interference from the other two branches.
b. By cutting out wasteful spending by the executive branch, Congress can reallocate funds
for more important priorities such as national security.
c. By cutting out wasteful spending by the executive branch, Congress can reallocate funds
to the judiciary.
d. By freezing judges’ salaries or cutting funding for federal agencies, Congress can then
give the money directly to the states.
e. By freezing judges’ salaries or cutting funding for federal agencies, Congress can state its
displeasure with the actions of the other branches and can maintain oversight of how
policies are implemented.
ANS: D DIF: Moderate
REF: The Constitution: A Framework for Government
OBJ: Outline the major provisions of the Constitution. MSC: Understanding
72. Which branch of government did NOT initially have a negative power over the other branches of
government?
a. legislative
b. executive
c. judicial
d. All branches had negative power over the other branches of government.
e. Only states had negative power over the federal branches of government.
ANS: C DIF: Easy
REF: The Constitution: A Framework for Government
OBJ: Outline the major provisions of the Constitution. MSC: Understanding
73. The Antifederalists argued that the power of ________ was “a political error of the greatest
magnitude.”
a. the purse d. the pardon
b. the sword e. declaring war
c. the veto
ANS: C DIF: Difficult
REF: The Constitution: A Framework for Government
OBJ: Outline the major provisions of the Constitution. MSC: Remembering
75. Which of the following is NOT a reason that the Constitution continues to be a “living document”?
a. Ambiguity in key parts makes the Constitution flexible.
b. Multiple people get to interpret the Constitution.
c. We have the ability to change the Constitution.
d. There is a consensus among Americans that the Constitution should be strictly followed.
e. There are a variety of viewpoints on how to interpret the Constitution.
ANS: D DIF: Difficult REF: Is the Constitution a “Living” Document?
OBJ: Explore how the meaning of the Constitution has evolved.
MSC: Understanding
76. According to some legal scholars, why is the living document argument problematic for interpreting
the Constitution today?
a. Ignoring the framers’ intent can allow for arbitrary law based on the individual preferences
and biases of judges.
b. The framers could not have envisioned the complex public policy issues of today, and an
eighteenth-century document cannot adequately address contemporary societal problems.
c. Congress, and not the Supreme Court, should have the right to determine the meaning of
the Constitution.
d. The framers did not provide a means to amend the Constitution, so they did not want the
structure of government to change over time.
e. Most people agree that originalism is the best way to interpret the Constitution.
ANS: A DIF: Difficult REF: Is the Constitution a “Living” Document?
OBJ: Explore how the meaning of the Constitution has evolved.
MSC: Understanding
77. Which of the following is NOT part of an acceptable process for amending the Constitution?
a. proposal; approval by two-thirds of Congress
b. proposal; approval by two-thirds of the states in a national convention
c. ratification by three-fourths of the states in their legislatures
d. ratification by three-fourths of the states through state conventions
e. proposal; approval by three-fourths of Congress
ANS: E DIF: Difficult REF: Is the Constitution a “Living” Document?
OBJ: Explore how the meaning of the Constitution has evolved.
MSC: Remembering
78. According to the text, what has allowed the Constitution to remain so relevant today?
a. the sharing of powers between branches
b. its ability to change with the times and reflect its citizens’ values
c. the ease with which it can be amended
d. the way the Founders solved modern problems with past compromise
e. the power it gives to the executive branch to overcome congressional gridlock
ANS: B DIF: Difficult REF: Is the Constitution a “Living” Document?
OBJ: Explore how the meaning of the Constitution has evolved.
MSC: Understanding
ESSAY
1. The values and goals held by the framers of the Constitution were strongly shaped by their two
previous political experiences: being ruled by the British monarchy and their own government under
the Articles of Confederation. What were the principal lessons they learned from each of these
experiences? How did these lessons impact the goals of the Constitution’s framers and how can we see
them still in effect today?
ANS:
Answers will vary.
ANS:
Answers will vary.
3. What does the “tyranny of the majority” mean? Why did James Madison consider it a potential
problem? How does that fit with a republic based on majority rule? What did the framers of the
Constitution ultimately do to prevent majority tyranny and do you believe it has been effective?
ANS:
Answers will vary.
4. Identify and discuss any three separate political compromises that shaped the Constitution. Why was it
necessary to compromise on each of those issues? What alternatives were considered? Why was the
compromise eventually adopted?
ANS:
Answers will vary.
5. Looking at the Constitution at the time of its ratification, what would you say were its strengths? What
were its weaknesses? What were the consequences of those strengths and weaknesses for future
generations of Americans? Would you say that today’s Constitution still reflects these strengths and
weaknesses?
ANS:
Answers will vary.
6. Describe how the separation of powers system uses checks and balances to limit the power of the
federal government. What are the major powers that each branch has and how can each branch check
the others? Is the system effective?
ANS:
Answers will vary.
7. What are negative or checking powers? What negative powers does each branch hold over the others?
How do those impact how the federal government functions?
ANS:
Answers will vary.
8. Because the Constitution was written more than 200 years ago, some people question its relevance in
the modern United States. Do you believe the Constitution remains relevant to modern Americans?
Why or why not? Base your answer on the discussion in the text rather than specific problems you
may have with current political leaders.
ANS:
Answers will vary.
9. Define each of the following terms and explain how they help make the Constitution a “living
document”: the “elastic clause,” the “commerce clause,” the “executive powers clause,” and “judicial
review.”
ANS:
Answers will vary.
10. Explain the different ways that the Constitution can be amended. What are the implications of these
rules for the number of changes we make to our governing system, as well as the types of changes that
are made? Do you believe it is too easy to amend the Constitution? Too hard? Support your answer
with specific examples of amendments that have and have not been made to the Constitution.
ANS:
Answers will vary.